The Orange Coast College Speech and Debate Team overwhelmed the competition at Pacific Southern California Forensics Association’s Fall Championship Tournament at Cal State University Long Beach this weekend. More than 40 colleges and universities from California, Arizona, Michigan and Colorado competed in more than 1,000 speaking events in one of the largest tournaments in the country.

OCC Pirate speakers amassed 134 points, while longtime rival and last year’s champion, Irvine Valley College, earned 83 points, followed by El Camino College with 79 points. “It was a fantastic feeling to win by such a huge margin,” said Director of Forensics Christopher DeSurra.

Orange Coast College, founded in 1947, is one of the nation's top transfer schools. With a student population of 22,000, OCC provides exemplary programs leading to Associate in Arts degrees, Associate in Science degrees and 145 career programs. The college's 164-acre campus is located in the heart of Costa Mesa. For complete details about OCC, visit http://www.orangecoastcollege.edu.